AI Predictive Scheduling Solutions for Healthcare

When I talk to hospital leadership, or leaders of HR and staffing, I always hear the same thing. They recognize the inefficiencies inherent in static spreadsheet-based scheduling and schedule creation based on ‘gut feeling’. If the approach is to only look at filling the gaps created by a staffing shortfall, or to address a staffing surge by engaging a contract labor staffing firm at premium rates, then your best clinicians will be burnt out and workloads will increase while the standard of patient care will rapidly decline.

There’s an important difference between a reactive approach to staffing, and an active staffing strategy. To achieve the latter, you need a smart staffing technology that provides you the capability to predict staffing requirements before the need for a staffing adjustment arises.

There is an important gap in the scheduling software solutions currently available to most staffing teams, which is a gap between staff scheduling and predicting patient acuity. With the Relode software, staffing teams are able to address that gap. We use artificial intelligence to work with your clinical leadership team to predict staffing demand. Staffing demand, coupled with our software, helps staffing teams achieve staffing stability with premium overtime cost savings and a reduction in staffing burnout.

The Challenge: The Unpredictable Clinical Workforce Gap

Understanding how big shifts in the healthcare pipeline contribute to scheduling chaos is the first step toward understanding how much better off proactive scheduling could be. AI can now do a better job than people can at forecasting needs, so there's really no good excuse to wait on using this tool.
Here are a few ways in which AI-powered forecasting can help scheduling:

Unpredictable Patient Acuity and Census Spikes

Many hospitals have trouble planning for sudden increases in the number of patients. Patient care can be delayed because staffing schedules can not be predicted. Poor staffing schedules can be present for a period of weeks causing nurse to patient ratios that are not safe.

High Burnout and Premium Labor Exhaustion

As the unexpected unavailability of nurses results in higher patient load for nurses who are currently employed, the nursing staff experiences accelerated levels of burnout. Employing supplemental agency personnel, increasing hours for existing staff, or providing incentives to recruit nurses also incurs a drain on the facility's finances.

Inefficient Shift Distribution

There are challenges that accompany scheduling. While it is true that being flexible and creating a schedule can be a balancing act, many other issues come up along the way. Planning becomes complicated when it comes to call-outs, requests to have time off, and the exchanging of shifts. Frequent changes to a schedule create disruptions in staffing. This impacts patient admissions by delaying them. Because schedules are created on a foundation of the core staff, balancing this is critical.

Our Approach: AI-Driven Predictive Scheduling

Relode does not use legacy tools and systems to frantically panic call staff. Our systems use data driven scheduling with AI, taking into account patient acuity and reducing overtime, while improving the safety and health of the staff, and the outcome of the patients.

We feel as though workforce scheduling is most successful when it equally considers the operational needs of a hospital and the well-being of the staff.

Data-Backed Forecasting

We utilize advanced algorithms to analyze historical admission trends, seasonal surges, and local demographic data to accurately predict patient census days in advance.

Acuity-Based Alignment

We assess shift requirements not just by headcount, but by clinical competencies, ensuring the right mix of specialized skills is always available for your specific unit’s acuity level.

Integrated Workforce Strategy

Our predictive tools are designed to work in tandem with your domestic hiring and staffing efforts, integrating your core staff, float pools, and contingent labor into one cohesive system. You can learn more about how this fits into our broader capabilities by exploring all of our Relode services.

What We Deliver: End-to-End Scheduling Solutions

With Relode, you get healthcare scheduling software that is truly all-inclusive. Stop having your nursing leadership and HR teams spend time creating schedules. Let them focus on running the facility. Relode has the tools your leaders need to effectively and efficiently create schedules with the press of a button.

Demand Forecasting & Capacity Planning

With our technology, we are able to analyze the deep data on patient trends to help you anticipate patient needs before they happen. We are then able to provide a projection on what your clinic will be experiencing to give you the advanced notice you need to shift the schedule and prevent a staffing crisis.

Automated Shift Matching & Fulfillment

Phone trees are outdated. Our AI technology helps you schedule shifts for employees and save time. Open shifts are filled with credentialed employees who are preferred and available.

Proactive Float Pool Management

We will show you how to set up an internal float pool so your most talented employees can fill staffing gaps. Our software provides actionable analytics that shows you exactly where your staffing resources will be most needed and how to effectively redeploy your resources across your facility. Eliminate expensive reliance on external staffing agencies and ensure you are providing top tier patient care.

Burnout Prevention & Schedule Equity

Good employees keep your business running. That's why we built our systems to encourage your best clinical teams to stay, and dramatically reduce the rate of turnover you're currently facing. Our shift scheduling and rotation systems mean unpopular shifts get covered without scheduling headaches. Plus, we've automated rotation to ensure long term job satisfaction for your clinicians.

Client Outcomes: What We Measure

If you want to make things better, you first need to measure them. Our AI scheduling solutions come with the accountability that is built into the solutions we offer. We help our clients improve patient outcomes, and bottom line, by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) which are as follows:

Premium Labor Cost Reduction:

Tracking the direct financial savings of replacing premium travel agency contracts and overtime pay with optimized core staff scheduling.

Shift Fill-Rate Improvement:

Managing shift requests proactively to ensure high fulfillment rates and predictable coverage despite sudden census changes.

First-Year Turnover Rates:

Monitoring staff retention to ensure equitable scheduling is delivering a happier, long-term workforce.

Stabilized Patient-to-Provider Ratios:

Maintaining safe staffing levels that enhance continuity of care and overall HCAHPS patient satisfaction scores.

Partner With a Workforce Planning Specialist

Currently, achieving the right balance of your clinical workforce is not easy. Fast-changing patient volume means the hospital staff workload also moves quickly.

Your nursing managers shouldn't have to fill in all the frantic last-minute scheduling holes, while balancing running units. If your managers are struggling to fill these needs, consider switching how you're approaching it.

Relode has intelligent scheduling technology that will allow your managers to spend more time leading the unit, and less time covering holes in your nursing staff scheduling. Give your managers the tool that takes the burden off their backs and contact Relode. Stop reacting and start leading the staffing of your hospital.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How does predictive healthcare scheduling software actually work?
Q: Will AI-driven predictive scheduling reduce our reliance on travel nurses?
Q: How does optimized scheduling improve nurse retention?